Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsShallow and Disappointing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 June 2022
The last Strikers game came out on the Wii about 15 years ago.
That game is better in almost every way.
Strikers Battle League on the Switch is not going to be fun unless you can play online or local multiplayer with friends or family. If you live alone or don't have others to play with and will only play against the computer... this game has next to nothing to offer.
Compared to the Wii game, this iteration has:
- No pitch variety or hazards (all pitches just "look" different, they do not PLAY different.)
- No Modifiers (you can't mix up the gameplay with funny things like extra-szppy walls, super charged balls etc)
- No Arcade mode for single player challenges with modifiers for a challenge
- No unique abilities for characters (the old side-kick system has gone, so you can't do funny things like jumping over goalies, or dodging by jumping and slamming a hammer below you)
- No unlockables such as characters, modifiers, pitches (the only things you can unlock are gear that adjusts your character's stats, and that you have to grind the same cup mode over and over again for in-game currency to unlock them.)
- No unique soundtracks and music for characters or pitches. The previous game had themed music with different instruments, whereas all the music in this game is Rock/Metal with just different tunes, not styles.
What the game DOES have is a very deep gameplay system for things like dodging, passing, shooting with lots of precise timing and skill required. That and the combination of gear means that if you care about a skilled game of 4-aside mario football, then you will enjoy the game. Especially if you can play online.
But the fun chaos-filled Mario Strikers is no-where to be seen.
